The Sparkle of Spontaneity

Last year my husband decided to take an improv acting class. I knew this class would be good for me too, because of how seldom I do anything unexpected. I rationalize my daily time expenditures. I give myself time-outs to plan disciplinary consequences. It was time for me to leap, and we both leaped into improv.

One tenet of improv is "Yes! and..." That means that if your scene partner suggests you raise rabbits in your living room, you could say something like, "Yes! and... a carrot garden in the bathtub would be grand, don't you think?" It doesn't have to make sense. It's just a practice of accepting whatever comes, making something out of it, and ideally, offering your partner details he or she can build on.

Witnessing and working with this "Yes!... and" principle in class has proved to my perfectionist, organize-it-all self that truly amazing things appear without planning. Entire relationships, histories, emotions, huge laughs and drama. In class I've let myself be just weird and loud and spontaneous, and how freeing it's been!

My husband and I are still taking improv classes. We love our player-friends. We still get a little nervous as we drive to the practice theatre every Saturday afternoon. But this thing is so huge for our personal growth that we feel compelled to keep showing up.

So maybe improvisation could shift your way of thinking-- and your life? I now believe it's possible.